Sebring B.L. Miller Principal, Nichole Hanley, assists sixth-grader Landon Nolan,with a brace prototype for Tiny the chick (also pictured). Sixth-grade students are working on a brace for the chick who was born with a broken leg. (Submitted photo)

SEBRING –Sebring sixth-grade students are using technology to assist a baby chick born with a broken leg. The chick was born down the hallway from the sixth-graders as part of third grade’s annual “chick hatching” project. When students learned one chick was born with a broken leg, they hatched a plan to help.

Julie Naples’ sixth-grade classroom is outfitted with a 3D printer as part of a “Project Lead the Way” technology program. Earlier in the school year, students completed an orthosis project in which they created braces using the 3D printer for cerebral palsy patients. The project challenged students to create various prototypes for braces, scaling them to a variety of sizes. Students applied this concept to assist the chick.

“Tiny” the chick visits the sixth-grade classroom frequently as students work on prototypes for a brace to affix to its broken leg. Students have designed several braces using a 3D printer to find one that fits Tiny’s leg the best.

“This is a full circle learning experience for our students,” said Sebring B.L. Miller Elementary Principal Nichole Hanley. “They are applying a previous lesson to create a real-world solution. Plus, they are helping a chick and fellow classmates. It has been rewarding to see students excited about what they are learning.”